Savory Oatmeal

You’ve probably figured out by now that I like switching things up. So when the idea came to me to rethink one of my breakfast favorites — oatmeal — I jumped on it.

Literally. And I instantly regretted it.

Anyway, savory oatmeal.

What? You might ask. What is this madness?

But think about it. Sometimes you wake up and don’t want sugary toast, sweet berries, or even syrup-n-waffles. Yep, crazy mornings like those do exist.

(But not really.)

You wake up and you want something savory, something filling and satisfying, something umami and sizzling and salty.

Something comfortable and warm like oatmeal. But… savory.

Savory Oatmeal

This is a Chinese-inspired dish, inspired by warm bowls of rice porridge and mixed with salty vegetables — a delicious breakfast classic. Feel free to add in any type of food your early morning heart desires: sausages, bacon, cheese, green onions, literally anything but the kitchen sink. Because apparently steel-cut oats has nothing to do with stainless steel.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked oatmeal

1/2 cup mushrooms

1/2 cup eggplant

1 clove garlic

1/8 cup soy sauce

Steps

Add oil in a hot pan and then the garlic. (Pause to smell the beautiful aroma.) Then, add in the mushrooms, eggplant, and soy sauce. Sauté everything together until cooked through. Mix in the vegetables with the cooked oatmeal. (Try my Gloriously Fluffy Oatmeal trick!)

For that extra something somethin’, I love to top it off with a quick dash of sesame seed oil and a sprinkling of parsley and freshly ground pepper. It’s positively irresistible. Don’t even try.

My favorite beakfast is Farm Style Eggs like my Grandmother used to make: two scrambled eggs with cooked hash browns, sausage, bacon, minced onion, chopped bell pepper, and chunks of cheddar cheese mixed in topped with ketchup and served with a pair of fresh buttermilk biscuits slathered with real butter. I don’t have it too often as it is a real calorie bomb!